Elkins man facing charges after baseball bat incident

July 1, 2014

ELKINS - An Elkins man is being held at Tygart Valley Regional Jail after allegedly hitting another man with a baseball bat.

Jeremy David Harris, 35, was charged with one felony count of malicious assault Saturday. He is being held on a $25,000 cash only bond.

According to the criminal complaint, Patrolman M.J. Sigley of the Elkins Police Department was dispatched to a Pleasant Ave. residence June 20 in reference to a man striking another man with a baseball bat.

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Harris

Upon arriving at the residence, Sigley spoke with Delmas Summerfield and two women. Summerfield said Harris had entered the residence and claimed that Summerfield and one of the females had stolen from him, the complaint stated.

Summerfield allegedly told police Harris "swung at him and he grabbed the ball bat," and then Harris "lunged at him, taking him to the couch and they wrestled around for a few minutes and Harris bit him and struck him with the bat."

One of the females told police she and Summerfield were spending the night with the other female subject when Harris stopped by to chat with Summerfield before leaving the residence. She added Harris "came back (to the residence) and was yelling that someone stole stuff out of his vehicle," and that Harris "asked Summerfield to step outside and they told him no and to just leave," according to the complaint.

She told police Harris "came into the apartment and pushed her and the other female subject out of the way and started swinging his fist at Summerfield and then took the ball bat and struck Summerfield in the head," the complaint states.

Sigley wrote that he received a call that Harris was at the Elkins detachment of the West Virginia State Police and that EMS had checked Harris' injuries and he had refused to go to the hospital for treatment.

EMS checked Summerfield's injuries and he refused medical treatment at that time.

According to the complaint, Harris told police he was at the residence visiting. He added that when he was leaving he "noticed his ring was missing out of his vehicle so he went back up to the door and asked if anybody was in the vehicle."

Harris said the three individuals at the residence said they hadn't seen the ring. Harris told police Summerfield then came out of the residence with a baseball bat, the complaint states.

Harris told police Summerfield "came in and struck him in the back of the head with the baseball bat and they struggled around," and that "Summerfield would not get off him, so he struck him and when that did not work, he bit Summerfield," according to the complaint.

A male friend who was with Harris when the incident occurred told police when they got to the residence "Harris went up and knocked on the door and asked a woman if she seen (sic) his ring and her 'old man' (Summerfield) came out with a baseball bat," according to the complaint.

The man added that Harris said, "Look, I don't want any problem, I just want my ring."

The man told police Summerfield "started hitting Harris with the baseball bat and Harris was trying to get Summerfield off of him," the complaint states.